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Darlie Routier
Posted on 05/21/2003 11:06:51 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Routier appeal rejected
05/21/2003
AUSTIN - The state's highest criminal court Wednesday upheld the conviction of Darlie Routier, a homemaker in the Dallas suburb of Rowlett who was arrested two weeks after her sons were killed in 1996.
In a 75-page, unanimous opinion, the Court of Criminal Appeals rejected claims by Routier's attorneys that her conviction should be reversed because the record of her 1997 trial was plagued with inaccuracies and prevented her attorneys from raising important legal questions.
Darlie Routier |
That conflict kept the attorney from pointing to the husband, Darin Routier, as a possible suspect in the stabbing deaths of Routier's two sons, her attorney has said. Darin Routier has not been charged.
Damon, 5, and Devon, 6, were killed in their home June 6, 1996. An infant son in another room was unharmed.
Devon (left) and Damon Routier |
A Kerrville jury convicted Routier for Damon's slaying and sentenced her to death by lethal injection.
She has maintained her innocence and claims an intruder attacked her and the boys, then fled through the garage of the home.
Yep ! Get a rope !
Of course none of us have any knowledge of her guilt or lack thereof, but every citizen has sound reason to doubt the credibility of this court of last resort.
Poor kid had a mullet too.
Maybe you could back this up with some facts, since you made the assertion.
I'm not aware of vast numbers of innocent people being convicted of capital murder in the State of Texas.
1. The silly string tape. While the court allowed this to be shown, they did not allow the tape the police took of the 2 hour memorial service that preceded the silly string, taken without the family's knowledge. The DA knew the police footage violated wiretap laws, so the memorial service was not shown to the jurors.
2. There was a bloody print found that the state's technician said did not contain enough "points" for identity. Routier's attorney hired his own technician who has determined the print does not match any of the Routeirs.
3. The state's crime lab technician that did much of the forensic work on this case has since been fired because of an alcohol problem. Routeir's attorney has statements from the technician's co-workers that says he was drunk on the job during the work on the case. Matter of fact, the technician's co-workers had him committed to a substance abuse facility not long after the trial.
4. The trial transcript was full of errors, almost to the point of willfull negligence. The court reporter that did the transcript has since been fired, and refuses to talk with Routeir's attorneys and refused interview with Court TV.
5. The pictures of Routeir's injuries. Pics were shown of the stab wounds in her arm and neck, but the pics of the severe bruising along the undersides of both her arms were not shown to jurors. Two jurors interviewed stated that the bruise pictures would have had bearing on the verdict.
6. The crime scene. Blood soaked evidence was bagged in paper bags instead of plastic by the retired crime scene investigator called out to look at the scene, which can allow cross contamination through seepage.
IMHO, The drunk crime lab tech and court transcript alone are grounds for an appeal. It's one thing to have sloppy work in a DUI trail, quite another in a capitol murder case.
The murder of children brings out strong emotions in all of us, which can hamper judgement. And Routeir's way of presenting herself has done her no favors. But the state's case is shaky at best.
I'm all for the death penalty. Matter of fact, if Routeir was proven guilty without a doubt, I'd push the button. But executing an innocent person is also murder, and we must be vigilant that our courts follow strict procedures in determining guilt in capitol cases.
One last thing that troubles me in this case. Her family, Mother, Mother in Law, Husband all are convinced of her innocence. It's one thing for blood relatives to blindly support someone, but if the MIL had any doubt that Routeir was guilty of murdering those kids, she would be the first to call for Routeir's head.
I can easily see a scenario where Mr. Routeir was involved in selling drugs in order to make the amount of money required to maintain their lifestyle, and somehow pissed off some bad people. The Mexican drug cartel is heavily ingrained in Texas, and as we are now learning here in Georgia, they are very brutal with retribution.
Thanks for the info.I didn't know there was a documentary on last night, so I missed it. But I followed the trial at the time and have seen a few documentaries since the trial. The forensic evidence that I have seen was really strong against her, and I am convinced that she is guilty. I don't recall hearing about the forensic investigators situation until now. Darlie is one strange cookie, but that's really not relevant in determination of her guilt. If she truly is NOT GUILTY, I hope a retrial brings that out. I have my doubts, however.
You're welcome. And thank you for posting these threads.
"I didn't know there was a documentary on last night, so I missed it. But I followed the trial at the time and have seen a few documentaries since the trial. The forensic evidence that I have seen was really strong against her, and I am convinced that she is guilty. I don't recall hearing about the forensic investigators situation until now. Darlie is one strange cookie, but that's really not relevant in determination of her guilt. If she truly is NOT GUILTY, I hope a retrial brings that out. I have my doubts, however."
I caught the documentary by accident, just flipping channels, and hadn't followed the case that closely until now. I'll admit, her words and actions after the murders are suspect. At first glance, I thought her guilty.
But if the assertions her new attorney has made regarding how the evidence was handled and processed are true, she deserves a new trial.
Me too. I very much meant what I said in my earlier post that if she is guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt, I would be more than happy to inject the drugs in her vein myself.
Her strange husband Darren, IMO, is also involved in this, somehow.
They were deep in debt, and had recently purchased life insurance on the two boys. The motive was crystal clear to the jury.
Darlie's going to get the needle, Gina. And it's likely to be in a couple of years.
Count on it.
I bump this old article with a question:
Isn't Darlie supposed to get the needle this year? Have you guys heard anything?
I don't believe this is the year. But, I don't really know.
A Dallas District Court Judge has recently made a series of rulings in Routier's favor, ordering the prosecution to turn over evidence that should have been tested 10 years ago.
A series of bloody fingerprints, and the bloody sock, are finally being tested, as well as some 30 pieces of DNA evidence that the prosecution withheld.
Routier has been offered life (if she elocutes) twice within the last 2 years. The DA's office appears to be running scared, w/ the Judge making comments indicating that he suspects possible prosecutorial misconduct.
Rowlett police were thorough...
I follow this case pretty closely, and this is the first I've read about any of this.
The fact is, all the circumstantial evidence is against Routier. The bloody sock was planted. It makes no sense that someone would have killed those two boys, and not checked the rest of the house to make sure there was no one else to kill.
Routier's "injuries" were self-inflicted, and the knife was placed back in its knife holder.
Sorry. Routier's guilty, and should be executed. She likely won't be, but she will certainly never see freedom again.
I follow this case pretty closely, and this is the first I've read about any of this.
All (perhaps) of the evidence turned over by the prosecution. There's quite a lot of evidence that wasn't tested or even able to be considered at trial because the prosecution withheld it. Given that, it's not too surprising that 'all' the evidence was against her....
The fact is, all the circumstantial evidence is against Routier....
Unless you provide a source, there is no reason to believe you.
Where are you getting this. I searched the Dallas Morning News archives, and can find none of it.
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